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Food Science News

Think tofu but with a creepy-crawly, sustainable twist: A Cornell food science team will compete Feb. 14 at the Thought for Food Global Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, with C-fu – a new protein product made entirely of crushed mealworms. Read more

Researchers from Cornell and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new type of nanoscale surface that bacteria can’t stick to, which could be good news for the food processing, medicine and shipping industries. Read more

Evoking the charm of swaying corn growing on an upstate farm and recalling 150 years of agricultural science, students in Food Science 1101 developed an ice cream worthy of Cornell’s Sesquicentennial: Sweet Cornell. Read more

Research

The overall goal of research in the Department of Food Science is to contribute to the scientific knowledge base for foods and beverages. Our research is focused primarily on applying fundamental principles from chemistry, biology, microbiology, engineering, and the social sciences to the conversion of raw agricultural products into foods and beverages for human consumption. We also study the safety, quality, nutritional, and environmental consequences of these conversions with the aim of providing the world with an affordable, safe, and sustainable food supply of high nutritional quality.

Research in the Department is closely integrated with our teaching and extension programs. Students, both graduate and undergraduate, conduct research projects under the supervision of faculty members. This research experience helps students develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills and fosters a strong aspiration for lifelong learning. Faculty with extension responsibilities translate and transfer research-based knowledge to our stakeholders in New York State and beyond. In addition, stakeholder input informs and inspires many of our research projects.

The Dando lab studies the neurotransmitter interactions and signaling events which occur within the taste system utiliz techniques from physiology, molecular biology and behavioral science to probe the mammalian taste system.

Research focus: Dr. Liu’s research program focuses on diet and cancer, the effects of functional foods/nutraceuticals on chronic disease risks, and bioactive compounds in natural products and herbal remedies for anticancer and antiviral activity.

Research focus: Moraru’s group research program is dedicated to developing technical solutions for improving food safety and quality and to advancing the knowledge in the area of microbial, physical and engineering properties of foods, particularly dairy foods. Our efforts are channeled in two distinct research areas: Food Safety Engineering and Food Quality.